Many conventional monitoring methods rely on macroscale systems that are undesirable due to requirements for large sample volumes, complicated fluid transfer between components, and the pain/tissue damage that can result from long-term device/human interactions. Microneedle-enabled analysis systems offer an ideal solution to all of these problems. Their size enables minimally-invasive interrogation due to their ability to puncture the skin's stratum corneum and access interstitial fluid without irritating deeper layers of the skin associated with pain, blood flow, or sensation.
The predominant use of these microneedles has been drug delivery, while little research exists on their usage for minimally invasive point-of-care sensing. No current forms of microneedles are capable of performing long-term sensing or providing drug-injection feedback loops as a sense-treat platform. One answer to this need would be an autonomous remote diagnostic device that is capable of interfacing with the human subject and performing a variety of diagnostic and treatment functions directed to that subject. The field is open for the development of such devices.